To just order a kit from Amazon

[JesusSufferingFuck22]

Posting here for traffic.
Our landlord, about 12 weeks ago had part of our (private) road dug up to connect other buildings to the mains and gas. They connected to the same pipes we use. During the process there were a couple of mishaps and trouble connecting. Anyway, since then our stomachs have been getting progressively worse. Could be coincidence. We all have historic stomach issues from different causes. We switched to bottled water for cooking and drinking now and everyone has improved somewhat.
My son thinks we should contact "someone" to test the water. I have no clue where to start. Looked at council and Scottish water but couldn't find anything.
Does anyone know of a decent water testing kit that doesn't cost more than £30-40? I personally think it's likely coincidental but a test would put my sons mind at rest. He's offering to pay for it.

Have you reported the problem and asked them to check the water? It’d probably be more accurate as they’d send samples to a lab.

My mum's had to have her water tested several times due to very old lead piping and horrendous chemical smell and taste. She just called the water board and they came out. She didn’t have to pay anything. Give them a ring.

I'm not sure who to report to. The house is only 13 years old, so no lead/old pipes as far as I'm aware.

The water looks and smells ok apart from the mild chlorine smell.

Have you ran a water quality search on Scottish water website?

Ring up your water company, they should send someone round to test. I've done loads of these in response to "my water tastes funny!" complaints.

Water quality testing only goes up to January of this year.

Ok, thanks for this. I'll give them a call. Do you know if they charge?

I think you should contact environmental health at the council and ask them.

Your first port of call should be the water board. I used to work in water quality testing and I'm not sure of the reliability of a home testing kit or even what they would test for. If you wanted to find a lab that you could send a sample off to then make sure the lab is accredited by UKAS so you know the results will be reliable. But definitely try and call the water board in the first instance or your landlord. Hopefully it's just a coincidence

Try this one:
www.itseurope.co.uk/collections/all-its-europe-products/products/its-water-quality-test-kit

There are cheaper ones, but not that also test for bacteria, like this one does.

www.scottishwater.co.uk/help-and-resources/contact-us/contacting-us

Thanks everyone. This is all helpful. Glad I asked the wisdom of mumsnet
Will call the water board and get the ball rolling.

ypur Water company is responsible for supplying mains water to your house at a quality fit for human consumption.
if you think it has been contaminated you must ring them
they will ask you why you think this. You therefore need to explain that your landlord had works done and why you think this is impacting the quality. If they think you have a legitimate cause for concern they will visit (normally call out within a day or so) and will take whatever action needed to investigate - they can’t charge you for that. You already pay your water bill that requires them to supply clean water.

But really I’m not clear from what you say whether your landlord has been messing around with connecting mains water pipes himself (or his contractors) to main water supply or you meant mains fuel. If he wasn’t connecting anything to do with the mains water inlet then you are barking up wrong tree and you have no reasons to think your water supply is contaminated because that system runs completely separately from your foul water (sewage drainage systems where there is bacteria that could cause stomach upsets and worse) or even your surface water drainage system (which is also these days mostly a seperate system even to the foul water). This is the whole reason the systems run completely separately - foul water will by its very nature be full of pathogens and must be kept isolated from inlet mains water. They run in completely different , completely unconnected pipework. Often going different routes.

by the way, your landlord should only be messing with any of the water companies drainage or water supply pipes once they cross over into his boundaries. He has no rights to interfere with water company pipework off his property.

whilst you could ring Environmetal Health at your local council you will wait forever- we have problems with our foul water drainage in the road, logged 10s of complaints over last 12 months and only once got an acknowledgment of receipt of our complaints. They’ve done nothing. They can’t- there is literally a massive backlog caused by cuts to services combined with covid. They are almost certainly, even if they did come back to you, speak to your water company first. Which is actually what you need to do anyone.

Ah sorry, just read that pipes go under private road ….normally water companies wash their hands of issues once it crosses onto your land..but there is exceptions where those pipes are “shared” by a number of properties….so they should in this case still take responsibility.
but if it is on private land then you should also contact your landlord immediately and insist he investigates. Why have you not done this when you first got I’ll?

Phone them and explain you are concerned about your water quality after works were done on the outside pipes. Make it clear it's outside pipes because if it was internal plumbing it would be your responsibility. They should be able to do a tap water sample which is something they do routinely. Chlorine smell is normal in tap water, particularly if you live near the top of the network closer to the treatment works.

Our landlord has several properties nearby. Our property is less than 15 years old. They (their contractor) were connecting 2 older properties to mains water and gas. The properties are on a partially working farm, with multiple holiday homes with no utilise upstream of the small burn nearby. Some of them chuck all manner of (literally) shit in the burn. My concern is that there is a bad connection from our mains water input that is getting contaminated.
I haven't contacted the landlord as we have on and off issues (some for years) with our stomachs that we are still trying to find the root cause of. We were all quite stable then they just have slowly been getting worse, starting at the same time. So much so 2/3 have gone to the dr for tests. I'm still feeling a bit washed out but improved since drinking bottled water.

*No utilities, upstream